Welcome to the AC Tropical Fish aquarium forum. Our aquarium forum is the place to discuss any aquarium related issue in a friendly environment. Our aquarium forum welcomes aquarists of all levels from beginners to experts. Please ask a question in the how to section of our forum or read the FAQ section if you have any questions. register to and become a part of our friendly aquarium forum community today.

Scared first timer

0

Hello everyone! I am brand new to this "excitement" and am hoping to learn lots from y'all. I have been reading through some old threads but I'm not great at piecing together information, or inferring so please don't get angry for me asking the same things that have been asked before.

I am looking for someone who can basically give me step-by-step instructions on how to set up my new addition, and get it going strong. Here is the information I can give you based on the extreme little I know.

Hello everyone! I am brand new to this "excitement" and am hoping to learn lots from y'all. I have been reading through some old threads but I'm not great at piecing together information, or inferring so please don't get angry for me asking the same things that have been asked before.

I am looking for someone who can basically give me step-by-step instructions on how to set up my new addition, and get it going strong. Here is the information I can give you based on the extreme little I know.

It's 55 gallons.

The canopy has a 660 icecap 3 light ballast with 3 t12vho lights.

There. That's all I can tell you guys about it.

EEK!!

What is your goal for the tank? What kind of fish are you wanting? From there we can always help and point in the right direction. Welcome to AC

You should be off to a good start if you read through that and the links posted within the article.

There are also a lot of other stuff on our blog that you might find helpful. Reading through some of the tank journals in the SW section here could also help a little

The more your research before setting up you tank, the better your set-up will be. Trust me, it's not all that hard to do

As already stated, make sure you know what type of set-up you want and what you want to keep before you set-up the tank.

Last edited by Cliff; 11-02-2012 at 10:23 PM.

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

That would make more sense if the tank was not drilled. Some hang on back external overflows used for tanks that are not drilled can have a pump in them. There are pros and cons of using that type of drain. The below might help

If you want to use a sump, you might want to get it drilled before setting it up

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

Yes, he said internal, I went back and checked the text message. He was texting it to me while driving :( so maybe he just mistyped? So that leaves me with the question, if it is an external hanging type as you mentioned, will it also work with the holes drilled, or an I looking at having to buy a whole new sump set up?

I'm gonna type out what my brain is saying and you can tell me how wrong it is.

Yes you should get the tank drilled assuming it is not make of tempered glass.

But first read the links I posted and you'll be well on your way.

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

As this is my first post, I have been in this hobby for 20 years and mostly Fish Only tanks with Live Rock.

If this is your first Saltwater Tank, I would suggest that you go for a Fish Only tank as it is the easiest to start with.

I would not drill the tank unless you already have the tools necessary to do it. You can seriously damage the tank with a simple mistake and you are already getting everything that you need to feed the sump. All you need is the return pump from the sump to the tank.

With a sump, you need to check to see if it was made for a reef tank refugium or wet/dry to hold Bio Balls. Depending on this, you then can decide how to handle your biological and mechanical filtration.

I think the lighting will be an issue for a saltwater tank. I am not sure if the ballast can handle it, but I would try for at least T5 bulbs mixing bright white with Actinic Blue. The problem with t12 is that they promote the growth of bad algae and it will be a pain to keep cleaning.

Lastly, depending on your budget, a protein skimmer will be important. If its not in the budget, then adding as much live rock to the tank/sump (or BioBalls) will be needed to maintain the breakdown of waste. You will also have to limit how many fish you add to the tank without it.